Chapter 248 - Main Mast

"Well I don't think we thought this through!" Spoke out Chan as he stood near the main river in Meridionali Ignis, on the other side Wide River Kingdom was to be seen as nothing but a dot, thankfully this place is a bit of a high point so they aren't disoriented.

This river spans 50-100 Kilometers long, it is indeed large and a true unique piece of nature. At the spot Chan and his group were standing at on the other hand, the River spanned 70 Kilometres wide. Or at least that's what the sailor man here claimed when Chan asked about this monstrosity of a River.

"Can your ship carry 3 Wagons sir?" Asked Chan kindly, seeing that this senior civilian man is an ill.u.s.tratio who is carrying the necklace symbolizing the illas religion.

"Well... I don't think so, they could tip the ship over." We shouldn't even call it a ship, it is just 10 meters long and 6 meters wide. Perfect to fit one wagon packed to the top with supplies, but to carry 3 it will tip the ship over as the sailor stated.

You would ask why Chan didn't take the journey through the river to begin with, especially with the last branch of the River reaching practically 20-30 meters near Crutal Kingdom! It would make their journey a lot easier and as the Grand King prefers it, shorter.

Well the prime reason for taking the long road around and wasting brain cells over it, is to see the progress in the thought to be invaded Kingdom. Quite frankly, King Xakro wanted to be absolutely sure that his son Zar is history, enough to risk such an important case.

The second reason is to wait the cold away, although a bit tricky to tackle, the cold mountains are a lot less cold when the winter season ends here in the low lands. You would think King Xakro is thoughtful enough to consider Chan's trauma, but no it is quite the opposite. He doesn't want this fool killed considering that he is so close to getting this task over with.

Having a assassin under his command, with Frost Blasting abilities is nothing less but an advantage to have the Electus killed and his heart brought as a prize to the one and only Grand King of Ignis, or at least the Grand King of 3 Countries. Considering the population drop he faced when the Electus attacked, based on tradition Zar is the Grand King of Occidentis Ignis now if not anywhere else. And considering that Zar is of another faction, Xakro's title here in this country is stolen.

But enough about that, this nice old man recommended to hire 2 sh.i.p.s if this costumer can afford it. 2 of the Wagons will be loaded on another ship while one Wagon along with the group of 12 will be on the first ship led by this kind old man, at least that is what he recommended.

Making the situation a bit awkward especially when it comes to racial pride, Bear Claw cut in the conversation and suggested. "This sounds like a scheme to steal 2 Wagons, their value isn't low and neither is the contents we are carrying."

This is a bad move due to two prime reasons, she revealed that this group leader(Chan) is momentarily rich and she made the group of 11 ill.u.s.tratios look like complete fools. Ignites aren't given the freedom of speech, especially here in the ill.u.s.tratian motherland where the odds are 11 to 1.

"Uhhh... Is she serious or do I have to call for the Guards?" That's a kinder way of stating that this lady Ignite has no word here even though she didn't neccesarily do anything bad. You would think that there aren't Guards here, but it is a medium sized dock carrying several sh.i.p.s. Theft can be common here so it is a bit explainable.

"She is joking she is joking!" Chan repeated, afterwards taking Bear Claw's word into consideration he asked. "But just in case of tides turning here in this practical ocean, can we tie the second ship here to yours? We can't afford losing a ship or the King in the Kingdom across from here would have all of our heads." The smartest move from Chan right here, he used the man's loyalty to the Kingdom and a few sea references to his advantage.

"I suppose we can for such a case, may I add that since this is royal business I can offer the deal for 30% less. So if you can pay 70 Gold Coins for one ship, we can be on our way right now." It is good business for sailor men, travelling from this doc to the other takes 2 hours at most. He would make half a month's salary in 2 hours! And when he gets there he can wait for another individual requiring his ship, although there it is less common considering the work flow, population and current military focuses.

"Than we have a deal sir, when do you think we can depart for Wide River Kingdom?" Asked Chan kindly now that the deal is done with, the last thing he needs is to raise his attitude and drop his chances of crossing this damn river. They had to dash through the forest for tens of Kilometers so they can reach this port. The forest surprisingly seemed less troublesome or boring compared to the 500 Kilometer flat land they had to cross along the coast in order to reach this port, there were no Kingdoms or ports along the coast, it was indeed troublesome supply wise.

"Oh as soon as I find the other sailor, of that boat." He stated as he pointed towards a ship next to his. "I'll also have to turn the ship around for the Wagon to load." At least the Horses can fit too, when they discussed the weight distribution, the horses were subconsciously included with the Wagons.

...

"How long have you been doing this sort of business?" Asked Chan to kill the time, Bear Claw isn't the most talkative person here and it sure tends to get too quiet. She became especially quiet now that a racist old man has brought her down in the conversation.

"50 years!" He shouted with a lot of enthusiasm, but accompanied by the fact that he isn't satisfied enough of what he contributed so far. "Back when I bought the ship, a trip used to cost 20 Gold Coins. They were the worst 10 years of my life!"

"Well at least the pay has increased over the years." Tried Chan to compliment his work, it is indeed hard to steer a ship... or at this case boat alone. "Why don't you hire a crew?"

"These younger men ask for too much even though they can't pull a fish out of the ocean without hurting their selves!" Stated the old man, indirectly telling that he is in the fishing business too! "I fired my entire crew, I was losing more than I was earning. Darn morons didn't even listen to my commands!"

Having a bit of a soft spot for anyone older, he comforted. "They just don't want to work, don't mind them. Looks like you handle things just well on your own even after considering your age."

"Are you calling me old?" Asked the sailor with a murderous look in his eyes. "Gilbert the Sailor is not old!" He shouted after, finally revealing his name.

"Of course of course." Taking a little whiff of the place now that fishing was mentioned earlier, Chan dared to ask. "So you say that you need fishermen?" If he directly stated that this place smells, Gilbert would likely give Chan a smack on the head even after considering the 12 to 1 ratio, he sounds crazy enough to do it.

"I sure do, I won't pay more than 10 Gold Coins a day though. You ain't going to rob me blind!" Stated Gilbert feeling that Chan is looking for a job.

"No no. On the opposite, we have time to kill here and there are 12 pair of hands who can offer help." I did say that he has a soft spot for the older generations, it doesn't neccesarily mean that he likes a loud mouth like the Grand King though.

"There are rods behind that hatch down there, feel free to lend a hand!" He accepted the offer without making a big fuss over it, it would be a great bonus to make two pays out of this trip.

Trying to reason with this old temperamental man, Bear Claw explained. "I can fish too!" Considering how tall she is and her natural strength, she is perfect for pulling out a big catch.

"Tie your rope on the main mast, most of the fish in this region call pull you in the water!" He accepted his help, but he also stated that she is weak compared to the rest of this man, he didn't show any care here for her here.